State Parks: Shark warning signs near Pleasure Point are fake

PLEASURE POINT -- Shark warning fliers posted near Pleasure Point with a State Parks logo are fake, authorities said Thursday.

The fliers claimed that a kayaker was bumped by a shark on Wednesday, a stand-up paddleboard was bitten by a shark and a fisherman spotted a large shark feeding on a gray whale carcass. While the first two incidents have not been reported to State Parks, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office or other public safety agencies in the area, sheriff's Sgt. Joe Clarke said a whale carcass was indeed spotted by surfers Wednesday evening and Thursday morning in a kelp bed about 100 yards off The Hook at 41st Avenue.

"I saw the whale and something was pushing it around. Something was eating it," Clarke said.

Clarke and other surfers believe a shark was feeding on the dead whale, which is not unusual activity in Monterey Bay, according to shark experts.

David Ebert, program director of the Pacific Shark Research Center at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, said white sharks and sevengill sharks have fed on whale carcasses in the area in the past.

Authorities have not closed the beach or waters around Pleasure Point.

State Parks Public Safety Superintendent Mike McMenamy said he did not know who posted the fliers.

"It definitely is a hoax, likely to try to clear the lineup for a south swell that's coming," McMenamy said Thursday.

On Friday, a southwest swell is expected to deliver surf in the 5- to 8-foot range for exposed spots in Santa Cruz County, according to Surfline.com.

The flier appeared fake on its face because Pleasure Point is not a State Parks coverage area. It also directed people to Cowell Beach, which was curious, McMemany said.

The flier stated, "Due to the highly aggressive nature of these encounters, it is strongly advised to stay out of the water for 48 hours or surf Cowell's instead."

McMenamy laughed at its details.

"This may be something that someone made at home," he said.

Authorities are investigating the fliers for potential copyright infringement because they contained a State Parks logo, officials said.

The fliers were taken down Thursday morning near The Hook at the end of 41st and 38th avenues.

The last reported shark attack at Pleasure Point was outside the kelp bed in July 2012. A 52-year-old Fremont man was fishing from yellow kayak about 8:30 a.m. when a shark bit the front of the kayak and threw the man in the water, authorities said.

The kayaker, who was unharmed, was rescued by other anglers in the area. The shark left teeth in the kayak, which helped experts identify the shark's length at up to 18 feet.